We have a moisture "issue" in our basement. It's a million times better since I hooked up the vent fan, but it's still pretty bad.

I just dug out my full set of prism color markers from college, they have been packed since I graduated. They are now kinda stinky. Fifteen years old and they still work fine, but yuk! They are odoriferous!

I took them out of their boxes and sprayed them with Natures Miracle. Any other ideas?

Replacement is not a possibility. These things were required for one class, and the price tag was in the triple digits!! That whole box of supplies is probably a month's worth of bills...

Found my prisma colors too. I LOVE those!

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

My mom was a graphic designer, so before computers, prisma colors were CRUCIAL!! Her studio also had a moisture problem and frequently flooded, so I, too, know exactly the brand of stink that you have there. Reading this post was seriously a flood of memories, accompanied by huge dose of gratitude that my mother would let me PLAY with her markers considering we were broke as a joke.

I might try watering down some tilex and misting it over them...

"In these bodies, we will live; in these bodies we will die.Where you invest your love, you invest your life." --Marcus Mumford

I don't know what prism color markers are but if they are like magic markers, I have an idea!!

I bought PURE AYRE from www.kvvet.com (cheapest place I found, as I always order over $50. and then there is no S/H charge). I use it on CAT PEE SPOTS, or anything else that I don't like the smell of. I have a very sensitive nose.

It is a natural product and literally destroys the smell, AND has a minty remaining scent. The label says it clears: urine, vomit, skunk spray....etc. I mean if it can remove SKUNK it should work on your markers. Maybe just a mist on them so they aren't too wet?

Also, how about those moisture control plastic tubs they sell, for your basement? I can't think of the name of them, but they have crystals in them and the moisture gets sucked into it, and then it becomes a liquid when saturated. I used them a long time ago when I had a condo without a fan vent or window for the shower steam. Walmart sells them.

They only have to be wiped down using a cloth with a light solution not saturated. Mildew/mold is a living organism and must be killed. We deal with this daily in our area and there are even company's dedicated to mold remediation.

.gov recommends

Use a solution of 1 cup of household chlorine bleach in a gallon of water. Do not mix bleach with other cleaning products that contain ammonia.

Actually, it was a typo, they are called Prisma Color markers (just like the colored pencils.) They are a very high end brand of "art markers" - that I haven't even looked at since 1997 - but my professor said that we MUST have.

I sprayed them with Nature's Miracle last night before I went to bed, and they were better this morning, so I sprayed them again.

Bob - I can't spray with a bleach solution, as they have colored labels that identify the color of the marker and ruining the labels would be a nightmare!

Joyce - I'll see if I can find that stuff. I really don't like the smell of Natures Miracle or Simple Solution, so it would be a good one to try out.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.

I don't think you can... I have a school pencil from coastal Corpus Christi, Tx and it reeeeeeeks of that 'dampness' smell kinda like mildew.... I hate it when I forget and stick it in my mouth! It's like it absorbed into the outer wood/paint. What about setting them out in the sun for a few days - are they so delicate they might they melt?

I also have a neat feaux leather coat with feaux sheepskin lining that is very neat and artsy but I can't wear it 'as is' with the mildew smell on it. It was in a canvas bag that got damp and mildewy but I don't actually see the spores/colonies anywhere (like I did on my wooden butcher's block - ugh!) -- THAT smell, however, is one that I cannot psych myself out of - at all. Sadly, dry cleaners have said their process won't get that smell out...<cry> - any miraculous ideas on that?

Oooh - will try the Vodka! Thanks! glAs you can obviously appreciate this is a difficult decision and I want to make the best choice. I have been putting pressure on myself to rush this but that is not necessarily how it needs to be. Glad you saved your your markers !

My sister is a professional costumer, and makes outfits like these for the local renaissance faire

The actors wear them Saturday and Sunday all summer, and they can't be dry cleaned weekly or the fabric would disintegrate. So they are sprayed down with vodka so they don't reek to high heaven (which would be historically accurate, but disgusting.)

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.